CUMBRIA County Council is proposing a council tax rise of almost four per cent as it continues to grapple with stinging cuts from central government. 

Senior councillors are also warning that more increases in its share of households' tax bill will follow if the government continues to cut grants to local authorities. 

The rise of 3.99 per cent for 2016/17 has been recommended by the county council's ruling cabinet as it looks to slash £76m from its budget over the next three years. 

This year's budget, which now needs to be agreed by the full council, has identified more than £45m of savings with changes to the way it manages money and a reshape of the authority planned. 

A rise of 1.99 per cent is being implemented to generate extra cash.

The other two per cent is being added on through special permission from the government to pump money specifically into the council's adult social care services. 

It is a move that Councillor Patricia Bell, the cabinet member responsible for finance, says is being "forced" upon the council because central government is taking away their funding. 

In the Comprehensive Spending Review last October, Chancellor George Osborne said he would allow local authorities to add an adult social care precept of two per cent onto council tax to give them more "flexibility". 

"This does not give us more flexibility as they put it," said Cllr Bell, who is also the authority's deputy leader. 

"But actually there's no flexibility at all. They are forcing local people to pay for local services." 

Speaking after yesterday's cabinet meeting in Carlisle, Cllr Bell said people in Cumbria can expect more council tax rises in the future as central government grants continue to fall. 

"It's not because we are choosing to do it, the government is forcing us into it," she added. 

Diane Wood, the county council's chief executive, said despite working in local government for many years she had "never seen a budget challenge like this". 

Referring to the government's decision to slash adult social care budgets and to allow local authorities to raise council tax, county council leader Stewart Young said: "The government has decided to do it this way to pass the burden from central government to local government so they can say they haven't raised tax - but they have through the back door." 

Under Barrow Borough Council's new budget plan, its share of council tax is set to be frozen for 2016/17.

Cumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner is proposing to increase the constabulary's share by 1.91 per cent.